24 Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Roles

Can you imagine anyone other than Tom Hanks as Forest Gump? What about anyone besides Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller?

You won't believe what actors actually turned town those roles. In fact, we've got a list of 24 actors who passed on iconic roles — sometimes for better, and sometimes for worse.

Check them out below!

1. Michelle Pfeiffer, Silence of the Lambs

It’s true. Maybe you can’t imagine anyone other than Jodie Foster as Clarice in Silence of the Lambs, but Michelle Pfieffer was actually offered the role first. She turned it down because it was too violent.

2. Al Pacino, Star Wars

Are you sitting down? Because it’s nearly impossible to imagine anyone other than Harrison Ford, but Al Pacino was actually offered the role of Han Solo on Star Wars.

3. Sarah Michelle Gellar, Clueless

That’s right. Sarah Michelle Gellar passed on the role of Cher in the movie Clueless, which eventually went to Alicia Silverstone. Gellar focused on slaying vampires instead.

4. Leonardo DiCaprio, Boogie Nights

Leonardo DiCaprio probably made the right choice with this one. He turned down the role of Dirk Diggler on Boogie Nights so he could instead star in a little film called TITANIC.

5. Johnny Depp, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Um, seriously? Try really hard to imagine Johnny Depp as Ferris Bueller, you guys. Doesn’t work, does it? It’s a good thing he turned down that role, because nobody other than Matthew Brokerick could be Ferris Bueller.

6. Lindsay Lohan, The Hangover

Who knows what might have happened if Lindsay Lohan hadn’t turned down the role of Jade on The Hangover? Instead, that part went to Heather Graham.